Yesterday, we considered former NHL general manager Craig Button’s point of view on Ales Hemsky – that his trade value is so low that even at a steep discount the Oilers might not get a second round draft pick. While that’s a debatable viewpoint, the truth is that Hemsky is not likely to yield a grand return. With his trade value low, does it even make sense to trade him at this point?

Addition by subtraction?

The temptation here is to say “don’t be an idiot” and move on to the next heading. There’s a vocal subset of the fanbase/media that says things like ‘the Oilers will keep losing as long as Hemsky is in the lineup’ because they’re under the impression that losing is some sort of infectious disease and Hemsky will spread the plague to Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle and Nail Yakupov and all the rest. They do things like call him “the epitome of poor leadership and professional indifference,” “an awful example for an impressionable core” and identify him with a “losing culture.”

It’s funny, reading comments like that, to go back and see what Hemsky had to say when he was being most harshly criticized this season.

Hemsky could have said “I’m playing on a broken foot” and basically earned himself immunity from criticism. Instead, because the team didn’t want him specifying the injury, he kept that to himself – not only that, but he made a point of saying it wasn’t an excuse four times in a three minute clip.

It was a struggle. I wasn’t skating a lot of days, and I couldn’t say anything… but I didn’t want to sit in the stands, so I tried to play through it. I don’t know if it was a smart idea. Maybe I should have taken three weeks off to let it get better. But in the end, I couldn’t do it anymore. It was too much for me, and I wasn’t a factor, either.

This isn’t Mike Grier popping his shoulder back into place on the bench territory, but it’s in the same general family. Personally, I’ve seen Hemsky go into tough areas and take the hit to make a play so often – and he’s paid the price for it, over and over – that I’ve never had any questions about his commitment to winning hockey games. I don’t understand those who do.

The problem

None of this is to say that Hemsky is an ideal fit for the team. He has a good shot that he doesn’t use very much. If offsides relative to ice-time were tracked, I’m confident he’d be among the league leaders. He’s a small, skill right wing on a team abounding in small, skill right wings. He has a significant cap hit. And yes, he’s hurt all the time.

In a perfect world, the Oilers would trade him (because it seems beyond question that Nail Yakupov and Jordan Eberle will be better players going forward) for value. If they can’t get that value, what’s the point? Using Button’s scenario, is a second round draft pick and $2.5 million in cap space really worth it?

They aren’t. The Oilers have to be pushing for a playoff spot next season, and Ales Hemsky can help with that more than a second round draft pick and whatever the Oilers can add from a shallow free agent market for $2.5 million will. Keeping him gives the team options. It gives them the option of moving a guy like Eberle if they get a shot at a legitimate number one defenceman in the prime of his career. It gives them the option of not having the third line be a black hole offensively – and briefly last season, when Magnus Paajarvi and Sam Gagner and Nail Yakupov played together on that unit, the team saw how useful three scoring lines could be. It also gives them the option of moving Hemsky at the trade deadline, when player values tend to be at their highest. Finally, if the 29-year old Hemsky can rebound to the near point-per-game level he played at from 2005-2011, it ensures the Oilers and not some other team are the beneficiaries.

I think it makes perfect sense for the Oilers to trade Hemsky if they can get a legitimate return on him. I think it makes no sense to toss him away for a bag of pucks.

Streakcred

Don't forget that it's never too late to play StreakCred - the new playoff pool game from the Nation Network. You can win a trip for 2 to Oktoberfest in Germany among the awesome prizes up for grabs. Now only $10 and a portion of the proceeds go to Edmonton Charities. Sign up here.

Recently around the Nation Network

One of the names available in this year's painfully thin edition of free agency is Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Wellwood, assuming the Jets don't re-sign him before that. In Kyle Wellwood's Worth, Travis Hrubeniuk proffers his own answer on whether the Jets should let the veteran walk:

This offseason will be a busy one for the Jets, but one thing is clear to me. They need Kyle Wellwood in a Jets uniform and letting him walk is completely unacceptable.

Click the link above to read the whole piece, or feel free check out some recent pieces here at Oilers Nation:

Jonathan Willis is a freelance writer.
He currently works for Oilers Nation, Sportsnet, the Edmonton Journal and Bleacher Report.
He's co-written three books and worked for myriad websites, including Grantland, ESPN, The Score, and Hockey Prospectus. He was previously the founder and managing editor of Copper & Blue.

ah, the "addition by subtraction" line. although it doesn't always work out, look at Columbus. they are a better team now WITHOUT Nash, Carter, Brassard, Methot, Dorsett, Mason, Moore, Clitsome, and Russell.

I'm sure there are many teams out there who could use someone like hemsky. He's not past his prime, tougher than most oiler fans seem to think, and he could be a much better player than he seems to be much of the time imo. He's just gotta get those offsides under control, taking that extra move at the blue line is BRUTAL

I think Hemsky just isn't part of the solution going forward. Trading him, even at lower value forces Mac T to go out and find a replacement for third line RW duty, which could be a bigger, checking, shut down guy to give us a line that is mean, difficult to play against, and can be put out against top lines to grind them into paste, giving our other two scoring lines competition to chew apart.

On another note. No one has chalked up teams' success or failures this year to playing in one conference. Honestly, I think it's hard to get an accurate portrayal of any teams' progress considering all of them only played conference rivals all year long. That fact, skewed the points in that in order to move up the standings, you had to go through conference rivals. Every game was a four point game.

Willis, is there anyway you could organize some data around this point and show either why the Oilers will do better in a longer season with Eastern teams' points up for grabs, or worse?

If nobody else is wanting his indifferent attitude in their dressing room, why do we need it? His enjoyment of the game here in Edmonton left yrs ago. Do him, and yourselves a favour and give him a fresh start. We've seen enough of his act here. Let him play in his comfort zone at someone elses expense.

With Lowe in charge, endorsing the likes of 10,20,83,89 and 94, this team is still 2 or even 3 yrs away from being a playoff team, if at all. The Cavalry (6-8 moves) isn't coming to lovable loser Oil Country. It'll be half that, and then only 5-10 minute a night guys. Edmonton needs two 20 minute a night players in this lineup, and that ain't happening here unless they're forced to be here for the sake of their paycheque.

If nobody else is wanting his indifferent attitude in their dressing room, why do we need it? His enjoyment of the game here in Edmonton left yrs ago. Do him, and yourselves a favour and give him a fresh start. We've seen enough of his act here. Let him play in his comfort zone at someone elses expense.

With Lowe in charge, endorsing the likes of 10,20,83,89 and 94, this team is still 2 or even 3 yrs away from being a playoff team, if at all. The Cavalry (6-8 moves) isn't coming to lovable loser Oil Country. It'll be half that, and then only 5-10 minute a night guys. Edmonton needs two 20 minute a night players in this lineup, and that ain't happening here unless they're forced to be here for the sake of their paycheque.

Online guy: "His enjoyment of the game left years ago"

Hemsky: "I didn’t want to sit in the stands, so I tried to play through [a fractured foot]."

Online guy: "Let him play in his comfort zone at someone elses expense."

Hemsky: "I don’t know if it was a smart idea. Maybe I should have taken three weeks off to let it get better."

I just don't understand how a mind can mesh 'he doesn't enjoy the game and stays in his comfort zone' with 'I played through a broken foot because I didn't want to stay in the stands'. I don't get it. Is Hemsky's comfort zone masochism?

If nobody else is wanting his indifferent attitude in their dressing room, why do we need it? His enjoyment of the game here in Edmonton left yrs ago. Do him, and yourselves a favour and give him a fresh start. We've seen enough of his act here. Let him play in his comfort zone at someone elses expense.

With Lowe in charge, endorsing the likes of 10,20,83,89 and 94, this team is still 2 or even 3 yrs away from being a playoff team, if at all. The Cavalry (6-8 moves) isn't coming to lovable loser Oil Country. It'll be half that, and then only 5-10 minute a night guys. Edmonton needs two 20 minute a night players in this lineup, and that ain't happening here unless they're forced to be here for the sake of their paycheque.

Where does it say that he is indifferent in the dressing room? If he was an issue in the room, why did Hall come out a year ago and basically say he would like to see him stay? Unless you are an insider, what are you basing this on?

This is an idea that the local media, who he has a frosty relationship (at best), and the Oilers PR machine (Stauffer) has propogated and fans have bought into. If he was that bad of a player in the room, he would not have been re-signed. Remember, the organization killed Penner publicly but in the room he was well liked. Same thing happened with Hemsky when the local media and Oilers PR machine went into character assassination mode prior to the trade deadline last year. Funny, since Whitney was a good quote, they did not say much until the end even though he was a bitter critter since last year.....

Now, if you want to argue that he holds onto the puck too long, goes offside too much, is injury prone due to the wear and tear over the years, that is fine.

Would we have been able to tell the difference if he wasn't playing on a hairline fractured foot? Not likely.

He took that puck off the foot near the midway point of that 9 gm road trip. The Oilers medical staff clearly has issues. It's busted, it's not, who's making the decisions, Mr. I played with a busted arm Lowe? Same Ship Souray was referring to all over again under this Bozo.

Hemsky never gives you that 95-100% effort anyways, it's always been hard to tell if Hemsky's playing on a busted foot or not.

Let his act move on down the road. Close the door on the whole works of these 2006 wannabes.

I think there are teams that would love to have Hemsky. We are not one of them. He needs first or second line minute and PP time to be his best.

I would love to see Hemsky and our number 7 pick to move us up to 4 or 5. I would guess, as I did when we signed him at 5 mil per, that we would have to eat half of his salary to make him attractive in a trade.

I think we made a huge mistake at the trade deadling not moving him, and UFAs we are going to let walk and some of out vets we are looking at trading now.

You would think we could have got something for Whitney (even a late pick) and Khabi.

why is this conversation limited to a draft choice? I highly doubt that would be the return, which teams have room to take that kind of salary without giving anything back... he will be traded for a useful but less talented player who is also overpaid... that player will be grittier and fit team need better than Hemsky

"None of this is to say that Hemsky is an ideal fit for the team. He has a good shot that he doesn’t use very much. If offsides relative to ice-time were tracked, I’m confident he’d be among the league leaders. He’s a small, skill right wing on a team abounding in small, skill right wings. He has a significant cap hit. And yes, he’s hurt all the time."

Add to that the fact that the cap is going down, and that there will be an abundance of wingers on the market this summer, and I'm surprised that it surprises people that Hemmer doesn't have much value.

I still think a 3rd line of 91-10-83 could hold their own and provide some offense, and that Hemsky will have value at the deadline given his expiring contract.

However, i wouldn't be surprised to see Hemsky sold off for nothing (a 2nd rounder is actually a decent return) IF and only IF MacT is able to sign a player like Horton, Iginla, or Clarkson.

I would love to see Hemsky and our number 7 pick to move us up to 4 or 5. I would guess, as I did when we signed him at 5 mil per, that we would have to eat half of his salary to make him attractive in a trade.
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This is really the only option. Would certainly be the actions of a team that wants to push out the deadwood on their hockey team. Push out guys who live at that sub 95% effort level. Edmonton is best letting someone else do their homework for them. They clearly get in trouble when they fall far enough down the draft order to allow them to do stupid things. If they don't realized selling the farm to get their hands on MacKinnon or Barkov isn't their best option, we're doomed to yet another cellar dweller finish. I'm sure even Barkov could leave Horcoff and Belanger in his dust his first year. We don't hear it very often, but these kids are slowed significantly by the loser entrenched veterans behind them. Getting rid of Hemsky is that ounce of medication that brings about a pound of healing. Imagine if we could give Horcoff that same ounce of medication. Barkov and Clarkson, rather than Horc and Hemmer, may just be that pound of cure.

JW deserves 900 props for this article, especially for pointing out the staggering cognitive dissonance that seems to afflict the Hemsky bashers. I'm awfully tired of the persistent, unsubstantiated, talk about Hemsky's "indifference" and his poor "body language," as if these things constituted irrefutable evidence that everyone can see and agree upon. Sorry kids, there's no there there. It's amazing how certain fans periodically grant themselves such extraordinary powers of perception on the flimsiest of pretences, and even after the evidence flat out contradicts them.

Ryan Smyth's always considered a good soldier. To my mind, Hemsky's right there: 83's got more than a few purple hearts putting himself on the line for this organization.

why is this conversation limited to a draft choice? I highly doubt that would be the return, which teams have room to take that kind of salary without giving anything back... he will be traded for a useful but less talented player who is also overpaid... that player will be grittier and fit team need better than Hemsky

Completely agree. Draft picks are way too valuable at the draft (in the opinion of GMs). They throw them around like skittles at the trade deadline but it is a different story when the prospect lists start coming together and the GMs begin salivating at the 'potential' in front of them. I think Hemsky's value will go up as the summer unfolds and teams aren't able to land the coveted draft pick and/or the anticipated buys outs. There is no rush to make any deal as long as MacT continues adding the other pieces we need while this simmers on the back burner.

I think Button may be right regarding his value at the draft, but that is because draft picks are valued the most at the draft.

Hemsky's highest trade value will be at the deadline - if he can stay healthy.

I think you shop the heck out of him, but if you can't get anything of value for him, keep him. 91-10-83 is a nice third line if they can fill the second line winger spot with someone with some size, and grit.

4-93-14

64-89- Clarkson-ian

91-10-83

Thats a good top 9. Create a useful 4th line, add a decent D, and they should be a good team.

If they don't look like they are going to make the playoffs, you can then flip Hemsky at the deadline with just a portion of his salary remaining, thereby maximizing the return.

He's done plenty for the Oilers, it's definitely time they trade him and let him go try to have some success else where. He has always been one of my favorite Oilers, and it would suck to see him playing for another team.

With that being said though, I would love to see Hemsky go to Boston to play with Krejci. If not Boston he would be a good fit for Detroit as well.

I would love to see Hemsky and our number 7 pick to move us up to 4 or 5. I would guess, as I did when we signed him at 5 mil per, that we would have to eat half of his salary to make him attractive in a trade.
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This is really the only option. Would certainly be the actions of a team that wants to push out the deadwood on their hockey team. Push out guys who live at that sub 95% effort level. Edmonton is best letting someone else do their homework for them. They clearly get in trouble when they fall far enough down the draft order to allow them to do stupid things. If they don't realized selling the farm to get their hands on MacKinnon or Barkov isn't their best option, we're doomed to yet another cellar dweller finish. I'm sure even Barkov could leave Horcoff and Belanger in his dust his first year. We don't hear it very often, but these kids are slowed significantly by the loser entrenched veterans behind them. Getting rid of Hemsky is that ounce of medication that brings about a pound of healing. Imagine if we could give Horcoff that same ounce of medication. Barkov and Clarkson, rather than Horc and Hemmer, may just be that pound of cure.

Here we go again. You tell us all, please, why any of Colorado, Florida, Tampa, Nashville, Carolina, or Calgary would trade away a crack at what you are saying is an elite difference maker (for the price of an ELC), for a 5 million dollar indifferent locker room cancer (by your estimation) and a lower draft pick. Mike Milbury has left the building.

I can appreciate that many posters really like Hemsky, but he is in the same category as Whitney and Khabibulin, formerly good players, but always injured.

If MacTavish is to make bold moves and bring some size, meanness and grit to the present roster, it is time to move on without Hemsky. Give him the opportunity to play for a contender by trading him, it is the least the organization can do for him.

Or if trading doesn't work, buy out Hemsky's contract, along with Horcoff's, to open up two roster slots and gain some valuable cap room.

As noted by other posters, the present roster may never win enough games to make the playoffs. The over-the-hill veterans are just getting older and slower.
I just don't know how MacTavish can fill all the holes in the lineup to make the Oilers competitive.

Tampa,Nashville and Carolina would all have good use for Hemsky. Heck, what if we subbed 83 for yet another marshmallow in Paajarvi.

Would the 7th, along with 91 and perhaps even Anaheims 2nd rounder get someones attention? The 7th, along with a second and 91 would be a good starting point. One of those 3 teams would seriously ponder that.

Since Hemsky's not much more than a doorstop.

If Tambellini listened to you, he'd still have a job. Don't see any of your ideas having any merit.

Here we go again. You tell us all, please, why any of Colorado, Florida, Tampa, Nashville, Carolina, or Calgary would trade away a crack at what you are saying is an elite difference maker (for the price of an ELC), for a 5 million dollar indifferent locker room cancer (by your estimation) and a lower draft pick. Mike Milbury has left the building.

If Hemsky was from Kelowna or Red Deer or Regina and playing on a broken foot, we'd all call him a warrior. However, he's from Europe and despite him signing extensions with the Oilers into his UFA years to show his commitment to the team, we call him soft, injury prone, overpaid and a liability.

While Hemsky is nowhere near the player that Mario Lemieux was, I remember people calling Super Mario soft because he never played a full regular NHL season during his entire career. However, who wouldn't have wanted Super Mario on their roster, even for only 40 to 60% of their games if it made the team's chances of winning better?

If Hemsky can land the Oilers an NHL roster player at another needed position, then trade him and let him take his 0.75 point per game average elsewhere, otherwise, consider him an in-house rental until next February's trade deadline and you can re-evaluate his worth to the club at that time.

Maybe the solution is to actually provide him, and the kids, with some actual NHL support players in the lineup who can divert some of the physical attention to themselves and give the skilled players room to do their stuff.

JW deserves 900 props for this article, especially for pointing out the staggering cognitive dissonance that seems to afflict the Hemsky bashers. I'm awfully tired of the persistent, unsubstantiated, talk about Hemsky's "indifference" and his poor "body language," as if these things constituted irrefutable evidence that everyone can see and agree upon. Sorry kids, there's no there there. It's amazing how certain fans periodically grant themselves such extraordinary powers of perception on the flimsiest of pretences, and even after the evidence flat out contradicts them.

Ryan Smyth's always considered a good soldier. To my mind, Hemsky's right there: 83's got more than a few purple hearts putting himself on the line for this organization.

All hockey fans have opinions as well as you........they are just opinions but the vast majority of fans want what is good for the team.

As far as team play goes, Hemsky is a total failure.........he plays an individual game and most fans see this as being detrimental to the overall success of the team. We all recognize his individual talent, and from time to time he dazzles, but we are now in a rebuild of the bottom six and there simply are not enough spaces.

I for one would love to see the talentless Horcoff gone, but I would keep him for his defensive skills. Hemsky is not a complete player like say Datsyuk, so he must go.......it's best for him and the proper development of our youth.

Now go take down your Hemsky poster and put up MPS.......it's his time to replace Hemsky.

Relax, Slug just likes to take swings at ideas that aren't his first. He'd be the first on here celebrating if the Oil made a move to get their hands on Barkov or MacKinnon. You might want to go back and prop your own comment there Northern, it looks so lonely there, standing there at the bus stop, all by itself.

All hockey fans have opinions as well as you........they are just opinions but the vast majority of fans want what is good for the team.

As far as team play goes, Hemsky is a total failure.........he plays an individual game and most fans see this as being detrimental to the overall success of the team. We all recognize his individual talent, and from time to time he dazzles, but we are now in a rebuild of the bottom six and there simply are not enough spaces.

I for one would love to see the talentless Horcoff gone, but I would keep him for his defensive skills. Hemsky is not a complete player like say Datsyuk, so he must go.......it's best for him and the proper development of our youth.

Now go take down your Hemsky poster and put up MPS.......it's his time to replace Hemsky.

Not all opinions carry the same weight. As David Foster Wallace once put it, there may be no "wrong" opinions, but there ARE "interesting versus dull, fertile versus barren, plausible versus whacko."

Hemsky not a team player? Career numbers = 133G, 318A. Try again.

MPS "replacing" Hemsky? Hemsky had 77 pts in his 22-year old season (his third). Pajaarvi hasn't got 77 pts total. Now, I like MPS and think he's got a future with the Oil, but "replacing" Hemsky? You out yo mind, son.

All hockey fans have opinions as well as you........they are just opinions but the vast majority of fans want what is good for the team.

As far as team play goes, Hemsky is a total failure.........he plays an individual game and most fans see this as being detrimental to the overall success of the team. We all recognize his individual talent, and from time to time he dazzles, but we are now in a rebuild of the bottom six and there simply are not enough spaces.

I for one would love to see the talentless Horcoff gone, but I would keep him for his defensive skills. Hemsky is not a complete player like say Datsyuk, so he must go.......it's best for him and the proper development of our youth.

Now go take down your Hemsky poster and put up MPS.......it's his time to replace Hemsky.

No, his replacement is Nuge.

Primarily a playmaker - check

Slim build - check

Buggered shoulders - check

Unless the Oilers can pick up a big centerman to share the load Nuge will likely end up spending significant time on IR throughout his career.

FWIW, why the hate on MPS? I guess he will be your new whipping boy when Hemmer is gone?

He was a good player at one time........I will give you that. Watching some of the many coaches that have coached this player........there is a theme that always surfaces with Hemsky. That being he has no real chemistry with any player except maybe Horcoff.

That tell a lot.........mainly that Horcoff is totally inept at offence and Hemsky knowing that, get the chance to go end to end on every ocassion that he can. Take Horcoff out of the equation and you are left with a good hockey player that ocasionally will go end to end and produce.

Watch him playing with other players is very very frustrating........go end to end lose the puck, and stare up at the jumbotron.

Let's make my first post one to stir the pot a bit. Hemsky and Gagner plus our #1 for Vincent Lecavalier and TB's #1.

We get an experienced veteran #2 center who can still contribute while mentoring Li'l Nuge and taking heat off of Horcoff, make room for Yakupov on the right wing. We also can draft a highly-rated power-forward type

They get scoring and youth in return via Gagner, dump a brutal paycheque for a slightly less awful one in Hemsky AND get a not-too-bad draft pick in return. Give them a prospect or another draft piece if it isn't enough. Heck, they might like Omark, after his OT goal last year...kidding.

Something Willis mentions and I've thought a few times is that the chance *may* come in which it will make sense to trade Eberle or, heaven forbid, Yak, for a top grade D or the like, and in such a case it may just be useful to have Hemmer around to fill in the #2 RW slot. I still think he's got it in him (though of course you have to worry about his injury history) and he may surprise and come back to pre-2011 form. Plus, he may become a viable option for a re-up for much cheaper once the current contract is up should all go well. If it bombs then try to get rid of him at the deadline for whatever you can and move on - the point has already been made that player value is often at the highest at the deadline. Unless of course there actually is some market for him now and Mac does manage to flip him for something useful. Just my two cents.

The statistics that speak volumes to me, are the 30/70 throughout the year. 30% of nights he's Ales, the other 70% he's Alice.

Rama Lama's right, pull that Hemmer poster down of your wall there junior. Hemsky making only a modest salary, and he's deemed to be vastly overpaid by every GM in the league except the Oilers. An actual NHL team (Calgary) LOL'ed/mocked this signing publically on twitter.....delusional much Minister?

Unless the Oilers can pick up a big centerman to share the load Nuge will likely end up spending significant time on IR throughout his career.

FWIW, why the hate on MPS? I guess he will be your new whipping boy when Hemmer is gone?

I have no hate on for MPS........he is one of my favourites, I was responding to a poster replacement as a joke.

What I should have said is that I think Hemsky will eat up minutes that could best serve MPS's development needs. MPS needs to play top six minutes with good players, someone that can teach him where to go and how to be physical. Hemsky know where to go and how to take a hit but not how to give a hit.

It's time for a total bottom six change, and Hemsky will not play bottom six minutes willingly.......nor should he at this juncture of his career. His needs will best be served on another team, who has need for this type of player.

The statistics that speak volumes to me, are the 30/70 throughout the year. 30% of nights he's Ales, the other 70% he's Alice.

Rama Lama's right, pull that Hemmer poster down of your wall there junior. Hemsky making only a modest salary, and he's deemed to be vastly overpaid by every GM in the league except the Oilers. An actual NHL team (Calgary) LOL'ed/mocked this signing publically on twitter.....delusional much Minister?

Well if Calgary mocked the signing then he must be terrible because based on the way they run their team they must be right.

I don't disagree that Hemsky is likely a difficult player to play with because of his creativity and ability to hold the puck as much as he does. However, you based on his track record referring to him as a soft player aka Alice is simply wrong.

He's probably been one of the toughest players on the team over the last 5 years based on his consistent willingness to take a hit to make a play (especially pre the Fab-5 when there was no one else to pass to), and play through injury.

Unless you can get full value, keep him until the deadline. He's still only 29 and has all kinds of skill.

JW, you are right in that Hemsky should not be let go for a bag of pucks but if someone
throws in a roll of tape to sweeten the deal...

The problem with Hemsky has been he is like Jimi Hendrix. On his own he has some magic moments but his band mates don't always know where he is going next. Adios to Ales makes the oil a less skilled but BETTER team.

I've just had enough of this on again, off again soft player. Last on, and first one off the ice doesn't scream veteran leadership to me. Hemsky must be the squeezably soft poster child the opposition sees before they file out ont Rexall ice before they play against this all around soft hockey club. It doesn't matter that he wanted to play in meaningless games down the stretch, if only to set himself up for another gig with another team. MacTavish himself even mentioned, when the Oilers were within a point or two of a playoff spot, they still weren't even close to being ready.

Him and Horcoff are the most distant characters in that "the best trades are the ones you don't make" equasion we've often heard mentioned here. The sooner these two, as well as Gagner being replaced, the better.

It would make no sense to trade him and pay half of his salary as Button suggested. But if he could be moved for a young, cheap, solid NHL back-up goalie or big, mean, young, cheap bottom 6 centre who can win a face off....then trade him and move on.